


you can't get rid of me that easily

by youngowl



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Hosie, Hosie Endgame, Humor, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Language, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outer Banks AU, Romance, Slight Handon, Slight Posie, Tags May Change, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24537001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngowl/pseuds/youngowl
Summary: Mystic Falls is “Paradise on Earth”,  an island covered by two groups - the Kooks and the Pogues. Hope's father, Klaus Mikaelson, disappeared nine months ago looking for the S.S. Salvatore shipwreck. After being gone for so long, he was presumed dead. But Hope still believes her father is alive, and she finds some interesting clues, ultimately leading her friends into an all out treasure hunt.//Josie only narrowed her eyes suspiciously, clearly not believing Hope’s poor attempt at lying. “Alright. And I’m assuming he also told you to return everything at-” she checked her watch, “-six in the morning?”“Yup.”When Josie chose to respond with a silent, unimpressed stare, Hope told herself she wouldn’t break. Looking into the light brown eyes, she lasted a total of two seconds before opening her mouth, the truth spilling out uncontrollably.“Okay, fine. I just borrowed it for a little while without him knowing.”“...So you stole it.”“Borrowed, just without permission. See, I’m giving it back now.”//aka an Outer Banks AU for Legacies
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 30
Kudos: 85





	1. Deep Dive

**Author's Note:**

> I binged Legacies. I binged Outer Banks. This is the product.
> 
> I know nothing about surfing or boating or anything ocean related, really. If there’s a fancy word, I probably took it from the show. Ignore my lack of knowledge and just enjoy the story :)

_We’re the Pogues. And we just want to have fun and enjoy life._

“Stallions suck? You’re _so_ creative Raf.”

Rafael gave her an offended look. “I’m sorry my imagination is not up to par, Hope. It’s our last summer before senior year, give me a break.”

Hope snorted, taking a sip from her drink. 

“Guys, should we really be doing this? We’re on Kook territory - remember the last time we got caught here?” 

“Chill out, MG. We’ll be fine.” Rafael slung an arm around his friend’s shoulder with a laugh. 

Hope hummed, taking in the moment of peace while Thing 1 and Thing 2 argued behind her. The weather was nearly perfect - the sun wasn’t too hot, and there was a slight breeze in the wind. They were on the richer side of the island, and the front of the Salvatore Boarding School never looked better. 

Someone came out the front doors with an exasperated huff. “Can you guys believe that they’re installing new air conditioners next year? We don’t even have _shitty_ air conditioners!” 

There’s Thing 3.

Hope ignored Landon’s complaint, handing him her half-finished gatorade as she picked up the spray paint. He took a casual sip, his face scrunching up at the taste.

“Did you spike this?”

“Duh.”

He shrugged, taking another sip. He threw her a bandana to cover up her mouth and nose while she shook the spray can. 

“What’re you gonna do, draw a dick? Super creative, Hope,” said Rafael.

“No, asshole. I’m making the letters bolder. There’s no use in defacing property if you can barely read it.” She smirked underneath the bandana at the sound of the three stooges laughing behind her. MG actually took her words and started going into the history of graffiti, ignoring Rafael and Landon’s groaning.

She only had the “ck” left to do when she heard a car pull up behind them. Taking a quick peek, she saw a police rover parked out front. 

“Shit.” 

The boys immediately took off in a run, slowing down when they realized Hope wasn’t with them. They looked back to see her finishing the last letter, before narrowly dodging a cop.

“Sorry, Dorian. I’m not much of a hugger.” She grinned, spinning around him before taking off.

She quickly caught up to them as they jumped the fence, taking a detour to get to the back parking lot. They had to split up when another car appeared out of nowhere, MG and Hope taking a left while Landon and Rafael turned right.

“Seriously, Hope? You almost got caught!” MG chastised her as they dodged branches, having taken the forest route.

“Like I said, no point in doing graffiti if no one can read it. Was that not in your history lesson?”

They doubled back to the parking lot, quickly finding Hope’s van hidden in the trees. She jumped in the driver’s seat while MG slid into the back. She drove out to the side of the school, picking up Rafael and Landon as they tumbled into the van. Speeding out onto the road, they watched an angry Dorian slam his hat into the ground.

All of them laughed at the situation, high on adrenaline with no worries in the world. 

* * *

_Mystic Falls. “Paradise on Earth.”_

_It’s the type of place where the people either have two jobs, or two houses. One island, two completely different lifestyles._

_The Cure is the richer side of the island. Home of the Kooks. Guess where we_ don’t _live._

_And the south side of the island, otherwise known as Vervain. Home of the working class, the people who bus tables, clean yachts, basically work their whole life away just to get by. Home of the Pogues._

_Pogues? Pogies - throwaway fish, lowest member of the food chain._

_Con of being a Pogue is we’re ignored and neglected. Pro? We’re ignored and neglected._

_My best friends and I, we call ourselves the Super Squad._

_There’s Rafael. Only child, shitty father, mother died when he was born. He mostly hangs out at my place. He’s got some anger issues, which is to be expected. His dad’s never had the best reputation around the island. We don’t judge him, though. He didn’t choose his life. He’s one of the most loyal people I know. He’s gotten into some fights over us, especially over Landon. Him and Landon are basically brothers, and they joined the Super Squad in middle school._

_Speaking of Landon, he’s actually a Kook in disguise. Got a foot in both worlds. His parents got a divorce when he was young, his mother taking Landon and the restaurant they own, his father taking his half brother Ryan and basically all the money. His father tries to buy Landon into the Kook side, not wanting his son to be hanging with ‘filth’ like us. Landon’s cool, though. He’s a genuinely good guy. You know the type: heart of gold, dumb of ass. He’s more brains than brawn, kind of a kleptomaniac, and will stick with us through anything._

_(Okay, he ditched us for a while when his father forced him to go to the Salvatore Boarding School for freshman year. But he left and became a Mystic Falls Timberwolf with us once sophomore year came around.)_

_And there’s MG. Probably the smartest person I know, and on his way to get a full ride merit scholarship for college. His dad is the island’s only priest, so he is heavily respected by both the Kooks and the Pogues. MG doesn’t want to continue his legacy though - he wants to be a social rights activist. I’m not sure how his parents feel about that idea, but he’s a Pogue, one of us. We love him all the same. He actually came up with our group name - he really liked comic books._

_And then there’s me. Hope Mikaelson. My dad, Klaus Mikaelson, disappeared at sea nine months ago. Ever since my mom died, he’s been obsessed with looking for this shipwreck rumored to have gold. We’ve been having a hard time with money, and he believed that the gold would have me set for life. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was chasing a myth. I wish I did. I miss him._

_Three months after he went missing, he was presumed dead. I haven’t signed the papers. He is still alive for all I know, and I’m not giving up until they find a body._

_My Aunt Freya came to live with me. She’s my legal guardian since my father disappeared. She’s there for me as much as she can be - she’s busy building houses in Africa, generally doing good work for all of humanity. She tries to visit at least once a month, and I appreciate that._

_That means that I’m basically on my own. Which I’m totally fine with. Gives me free time to hang out with the Super Squad._

_Now, I’m not naive. I know what people think with only one girl in a group of guys._

_(They all kinda have a thing for me.)_

_But we have a rule. In order to maintain our friendship and the squad, no one is allowed to date each other. And it works. It keeps the balance. It allows us to just be friends having fun. Which is what I really need right now - friends._

Hope closed her journal. Getting up to stretch, she made her way out of her room to get some coffee from the kitchen. 

She spotted Rafael, who was passed out on the couch, probably suffering a hangover from last night. Landon was on the ground with a blanket, and MG was drooling at the kitchen table. Hope smiled as she passed each one of them. She was always a morning person, and her own hangover can be cured with some caffeine and Advil. 

While heating up the water, Hope turned on the TV. It was one of the old, boxy ones with antennas sticking out the top, but it works. She slapped some peanut butter on a piece of bread, eating around the mold. The weather report caught her eye, the woman on screen looking slightly concerned.

“Hurricane Elena will be coming tomorrow. It is uncertain how much damage the tropical storm will do, but be prepared for power outages and cell phone towers to go down for the next week or so.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

Hope yelped, almost throwing her bread in the air. She turned around with a glare. “Jesus, MG. Don’t scare me like that.” 

He chuckled, wincing and grabbing his head at the action. Hope rolled her eyes, handing him her cup of coffee before walking outside to make a phone call.

“Hey, Aunt Freya? You might wanna raincheck on your flight for tomorrow. And you probably won’t hear from me for a while.”

* * *

They were not lying about the hurricane. 

Hope whooped as she ran across the beach with her surfboard in hand. She was already soaked from the storm, her hair messily falling out of her bun and sticking to her head. The wind whipped around her, drowning out Landon’s protests as she got closer to the water.

She got pulled back, and she paused at Landon’s concerned face. 

“These waves aren’t surfable, Hope!” 

She looked back out to the shore, noting the dark sky and the unpredictable water. She turned back to Landon, giving him a sly smile. 

“They are to me!”

He could only stand by and watch, ready to get help if the small girl got sucked into the huge, unforgiving tide.

Hope paddled out, catching the biggest wave of her career. She got up smoothly, rolling her eyes at Landon’s nervous look. Her eye caught something to the side of her, and her head turned, trailing what looked like a small boat getting swallowed by the sea.

It was enough to break her concentration, and she lost her footing.

* * *

“Hey, I’m fine.” Hope said for the twentieth time, steering Landon’s fishing boat. It was the day after the hurricane, and Landon was yelling at her again for the stunt she pulled yesterday. Rafael just laid in the back with his hat on his face, taking a small nap.

“You could have _died_ , Hope.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She gave him her best smile, smirking as she saw his worry dissipate. 

He sighed. “Just please don’t do something like that, again.”

“No promises.” Before he could reply, they got to the docks, quickly spotting MG helping his dad outside. She called out, “Hey, MG!”

Terrance Greasley sent a frown their way once he saw Landon. (He liked Hope, he believed that she was the only good influence in the group. If only he knew.)

“Boy, you said you would help me clean up the mess from the storm.”

MG sent his dad an apologetic look before running across the dock and jumping onto the boat. “Sorry, dad! I promise to clean everything tomorrow!”

“You know what they say, Mr. Greasley. Best time to fish is right after a storm!” Landon yelled as they sped away, Terrance’s yelling getting quieter in the distance. 

They sailed for an hour or so, eating snacks and drinking the alcohol that Landon managed to snag from the bar of his mom’s restaurant. They eventually found themselves in the marsh, stopping when Rafael wanted to show off a new trick he learned. 

Taking off his shirt, he did a walking handstand before flipping into the water. 

“Damn, Raf!” Landon laughed, jumping into the water and patting Rafael on the shoulder. 

“Impressive. But I bet you can’t do this!” Hope called out. She backed up, getting a little head start before running and doing a front aerial off the front of the boat, diving perfectly and barely making a splash. She resurfaced to cheers, smiling as she wiped water out of her eyes. 

“Guys?” MG said, still on the boat. 

They didn’t hear him, too busy getting into a water fight and splashing at each other like third graders. Hope managed to dunk Rafael’s head, only for him to pick her up and throw her, landing right on top of an unsuspecting Landon. She pulled him up, an apology ready on her lips. She sputtered, instead, when he sent a splash of water straight into her face.

“Guys!” MG repeated himself, this time louder. He was looking at something behind them. “I think there’s a boat down there.”

Hope paused in her retaliation against Landon. “What?”

“You’re pulling us, MG.”

“There’s no way-”

Disbelief clouded their words, before their eyes widened when they turned around and looked down.

Rafael was the first to dive deep, eager to explore the sunken ship. Landon quickly followed, then Hope, leaving a scrambling MG as he fumbled to take off his shirt and hat, diving in after his friends.

Having grown up in Mystic Falls, all of them were comfortable opening their eyes underwater. Lucky for them, the marsh wasn’t that deep, and the boat managed to sink with the front facing upward. 

Landon sputtered when he saw the details of the ship, letting out a few air bubbles. It was a Grady White, easily worth tens of thousands of dollars. Hope went closer in interest, snagging a key from one of the seats. 

All of them collectively swam up for air, their eyes bright when they looked at each other. Making their way onto their own boat, Hope shrugged on a shirt as she stared at the key in her hand, the tag on the chain advertising a nearby motel. The boys’ excited chatter faded to background noise as she realized that it was the same ship she saw get eaten by the ocean when she went surfing.

* * *

“Hey! We found something!” Hope called out, her voice lost to the many complaints being thrown around.

They decided to report the boat to the coast guard, in hopes of getting a finder’s fee. Turns out the storm did a lot of damage because Hope and Rafael just barely squeezed into the crowded area, almost at the desk. After a few more minutes of yelling with no success, they gave each other a look, silently making their way outside. 

MG and Landon looked up when they entered the van. “So?”

“Some lady was too busy talking about her dog with diabetes for them to hear us.” Rafael scoffed. 

“But,” Hope chimed in, “I know how we can find the owner of the boat.” She cocked an eyebrow, holding up the motel key. 

MG immediately shook his head. “No, that’s basically breaking and entering, or like a home invasion of some sort. We don’t know who that key really belongs to!”

Hope ignored him, starting up the van and pulling onto the road. She’s definitely passed by the motel a few times, she knows the general direction. 

Rafael stole MG’s hat off his head. “C’mon, we got nothing to lose. This is our only lead, bro.”

“As much as I don’t like it, Raf’s right.” Landon shrugged.

A smile broke onto Hope’s face when she heard MG reluctantly agree.

* * *

When Hope suggested for them to split up, she was suspicious of the way Rafael immediately volunteered to go with her to the room, leaving Landon and MG to keep lookout. 

They were in the motel room, looting through the drawers and bags. Rafael found the driver’s license of Ted Mancer, a Pogue who weaseled his way into the Kook life. It seemed that Mancer decided to go boating during the hurricane. They continued investigating in silence, and it finally made sense when Rafael spoke up again.

“So, uh, you and Landon?”

She paused briefly, before opening the closet and looking around. “What do you mean?”

“It’s kind of obvious that you two like each other, so why not go for it?” Rafael spoke casually, thumbing through receipts left on the counter.

“We have a rule for a reason.”

“And it’s a stupid rule, which didn’t stop us from dating during freshman year. And look at that, we’re still friends. Besides, I’m pretty sure MG has gone back to crushing after Lizzie Saltzman.”

Hope shut the closet gently. “I can’t talk about this right now.” She went next to him, eyeing a ripped piece of paper with random numbers on it - 102518.

“Okay, you don’t have to talk about it with me. You can talk about it with Landon, and I don’t know, actually _do_ something? He makes you smile, Hope. And he makes you laugh in a way you haven’t since your dad d-” Rafael caught himself. He looked down. “Since your dad went missing.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the pang she felt to her heart. He’s just trying to be a good friend. Opening her eyes up, she locked her jaw. “Like I said, I can’t talk about this right now.” 

If her voice shook, Rafael didn’t mention it. He simply held up his hands in surrender, knowing not to push her if he didn’t want her to close up completely. Walking away to give her space, he opened some other cabinets, stopping at one that had a safe inside.

He called Hope over, the previous conversation swept under the rug for the moment. She brought over the piece of paper, typing in the code, her fingers shaking with each push of a button. It clicked open. 

After some hesitation, she opened it fully, her mouth dropping at the sight. Her and Rafael turned to each other, mirroring expressions of disbelief. 

There were at least a dozen stacks of money, piled high, filling the safe to the brim. There was a small empty space in the front, leaving room for a small pistol to lie in wait. 

Their moment of shocked silence got interrupted by a tapping sound on the window. 

Hope signalled that she would check it out, leaving Rafael to stash the gun and a couple stacks of money into his pockets. She cautiously made her way to the window, peeking through the blinds. At the sight of Landon and MG waving their arms around like idiots, she quickly made her way to the front window, silently cursing at the sight. What were the police doing here? 

“Raf! Cops!” She hissed, closing drawers and putting everything back how they found it. 

His eyes widened. Closing the safe, he motioned for her to follow him to the bathroom. They were on the second story, so they couldn’t simply jump out one of the windows. Lucky for them, while scouting earlier, he found that the bathroom window had the perfect ledge to climb down, leading to a slight drop to the ground. 

They silently struggled to open the window, only to realize it was painted shut. Rafael took out his pocket knife, making quick work as Hope prayed to the God she doesn’t believe in. The window opened just as they heard knocking on the door, and they managed to barely get out at the sound of the police barging their way in. 

As quietly as possible, Rafael made his way down, exaggerating the foot placements for Hope to follow after. He dropped down, tucking into an experienced roll to soften the landing. 

Hope stuck her tongue out at him. Showoff.

Trying to calm herself down, she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Being careful to repeat Rafael’s exact actions, she slowly climbed down the side of the building. She got to the drop part, biting her lip at the height. For Rafael, it was no problem. He regularly did parkour for fun, and he was basically a foot taller than her. She only had a couple months of gymnastics under her belt, along with the unfortunate fear of heights.

“What are you waiting for?” Rafael whispered, his hushed words barely registering in Hope’s ears. “You’ve jumped higher cliffs than this.” 

She could see the van off to the side, MG and Landon holding identical looks of confusion. Mustering up her pride, she said, “There was water on the bottom!” 

Rafael’s brows rose. There was no way Hope Mikaelson was scared of heights. Noting that piece of blackmail for later, he was going to offer to catch her, when movement in the window stopped him. He put a finger to his lips, pointing at the window before hiding in the safety of the trees. 

Hope pushed herself as close to the wall as possible, holding her breath and making promises to any religious deity out there that she’d be a better person if she didn’t get caught.

She heard Dorian call out an all clear, and she sagged against the wall. Thinking back to her thoughts of panic, she reasoned to herself that she didn’t _pinky_ promise. 

“Hope!” 

Startled at Landon’s voice, not knowing when he got closer, she slipped off the ledge. Landing with her foot at an odd angle, she swore she tasted blood when she bit her lip to stop from crying out. She felt someone pick her up gently, and she turned her face into their chest, muffling her whimpers as each step sent a jolt of pain to her ankle.

They made it to the van, MG in the driver’s seat, and she saw that Landon was the one who carried her. Rafael slid the door closed, and they were back on the road.

Landon laid her down on the bench, his voice laced with uncertainty. “Oh god, this is my fault. What do I do?”

They didn’t have a first aid kit in the van (which they honestly should have gotten a long time ago). There was obviously no refrigerator to store ice, so the guys were at a loss. 

“Here,” Hope took off the bandana she kept tied around her wrist. “Tie this around my ankle.”

“Okay, I can do that.” He followed her order, wincing when she cried out in pain as he tightened the knot.

MG turned to face them. “Do we need to go to a hospital?”

Hope groaned as she sat herself up, ignoring their protests. She held up a hand. “It’s just a sprain, I’ll be fine. Just drive to my house, okay? Keep your eyes on the road.”

MG nodded, knowing not to argue when Hope used her ‘head bitch in charge’ voice. It usually came out when the guys were being stupid, or when someone at school has the unfortunate idea to pick on one of her friends. (Or when she’s in pain, apparently.)

Hope turned to Landon, since MG was focused on driving. “Why didn’t you just call us? Really? Throwing rocks at a window like you’re in a cliche rom-com?” 

“There’s no cell service. I don’t know if you noticed, but a hurricane kinda rampaged through the island.” Landon automatically replied with sarcasm, then proceeded to wilt under Hope’s glare. He sent her an apologetic smile. 

He cleared his throat. “So, uh. Did you guys find anything?”

Hope and Rafael shared a look, grins slowly taking over their faces. She gave a nod. “Show them.”

Emptying out his pockets, Landon’s eyes widened. Four stacks full of hundred dollar bills, and a fucking _gun_ , along with ammo. 

Hope’s brows furrowed. “Where’d you get the bullets?”

“It was under the pillows.” Rafael shrugged.

“Bullets? What the hell is going on back there?” called MG from the front, his eyes never leaving the road. 

* * *

Hope laid back on her bed, thinking back on the events that have happened recently. She winced, taking care to place the bag of ice on her swollen ankle.

When they got back to town, they passed by a huge crowd by the shore. MG parked briefly so Landon and Rafael could ask around, and they came back looking grim. 

Ted Mancer was dead.

Everyone on the island was now looking for the Grady White, which no one knew he even owned except for his adopted brother, Chad. Hope got a glimpse of Chad breaking down at the scene, being comforted by Josie Saltzman, and her dad, Alaric. It might’ve been just her eyes playing tricks on her, but Josie seemed to look directly at Hope as they drove by. 

They arrived at Hope's place in silence. 

They discussed their next course of action. MG wanted to tell the police everything, but Landon pointed out that Mancer owning such an expensive boat was really odd. Ted might have conned his way into the Cure, but there was no way he had the money or skills to get a Grady White for himself. Besides, he was clever. What was Ted doing out there in the middle of a storm?

None of it made sense. There was definitely something fishy going on (Hope had rolled her eyes at Landon’s pun). She made the ultimate decision to act normal and pretend like they know nothing. It’s not like any of this directly affects any of them, they just stumbled their way into an investigation by accident. 

Of course, Rafael had the idea to throw a party. Because who were the Super Squad if they weren’t throwing summer ragers? It would be suspicious if they _weren’t_ causing mischief.

The boys were currently setting everything up on the east side of the beach, one of the neutral territories for the Pogues and Kooks to hangout. It was MG’s idea, which had Hope thinking back to Rafael’s comment about MG’s current love interest. 

Hope opted to stay at her house and rest a little before the party started. It’s been a long day, and she needed time to herself to simply process everything. She let out a long breath, closing her eyes. An image of pouty lips and a short skirt filled her thoughts for a second, before she opened her eyes in shock. 

She shook her head. Slowly, she closed her eyes again, only to find the same memory of Josie Saltzman looking at her. It was only for a brief moment, but that image seemed burned into her mind: Josie with her hair down, falling on her shoulders effortlessly. Her mouth moving with what could only be words of comfort for Chad. Her crop top and skirt leaving most of her skin bare. 

(Hope had the passing question of who wore skirts in Mystic Falls? Almost all the girls typically wore a bikini with jean shorts, or loose fitting shorts. If someone wore a skirt, it was usually a wrap that flowed like a toga, easy to take off to go swimming.)

“No. This can’t happen.” Hope spoke out loud, as if physically saying it to herself would make her mind listen. 

They lived in different worlds. The Saltzman’s were one of the richest families on the island. Their name held power, along with Lockwood, Clarke, Montgomery, etc. Sure, Hope’s been working for Dr. Saltzman, but that didn’t mean she got along with his daughters. 

Josie and Lizzie Saltzman were Kook princesses. 

Lizzie ruled the popularity hierarchy through fear - no one would go against her. She also controlled most of the egotistical, horny, teenage boys by simply batting her eyelashes. Hope has had her fair share of arguments with the twin.

Josie was always by her sister’s side. Never joining Lizzie in her anti-Pogue propaganda, but never stopping the venomous words from sinking into Hope’s heart.

Hope forced herself to think about anything else - surfing, school, the Super Squad. Despite her efforts, she found herself drifting to sleep with Josie’s eyes being her last thought of consciousness. 

* * *

The day must’ve taken a bigger toll on her than she realized because when she woke up from her nap, the sun was way lower in the sky, and the party had started over an hour ago. Since the three stooges used her van to transfer all the party supplies (read: alcohol), she had to suck it up and bike to the beach. 

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Bed head looks good on you.” 

Hope glared at Rafael. And when she tied her hair up in a bun, it was because she wanted to.

She got there when the party was in full swing. People on both ends of the class divide hanging out, dancing to loud bass music, mingling with the tourists. Everyone stuck to their cliques for the most part. While there is tension, these parties are usually a silent truce for the time being, both groups just wanting a night to have fun, let loose, and mess with the wide-eyed tourists.

Rafael helped her as she hobbled to the drinks station. She needed something to get her mind off the pain in her ankle. They were within earshot distance when they saw MG and Landon passing out pre-filled cups to a line of eager teens. Sebastian Montgomery walked up with Lizzie Saltzman, and MG froze. 

“Oh boy.” Hope cursed under her breath as she started speed walking with a limp, in an attempt to get there before anything went wrong. Rafael was right behind her, ready to help if she pushed herself too hard. 

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at MG. “Are you checking out my girlfriend?” His accent always surprised people. The posh, British voice opposed his surfer look. 

“No, of course not!” At Lizzie’s offended face, MG stumbled over his words. “I mean, yes, she is beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. But! But I know she’s your girl, and I would never make a move on a taken woman.” 

His hands came up, flailing around as he dug himself into a deeper hole. “Not that I’m saying you own her, or anything. I’m all for equal rights, she is her own self, and she should live her life how she wants, not because a man told her to.”

Sebastian took a step closer. “Are you suggesting that she would prefer not to be with me, Milton?”

“No! No, no, no! I’m just saying that _if_ she didn’t want to be with you-” 

“Hey, MG!” Hope caught up to them, indiscreetly grabbing onto Landon’s arm to keep herself steady. “Stop talking.”

She grabbed a cup and held it out to Sebastian. “Ignore him. Enjoy the party!” 

He acknowledged her, taking the cup before staring back at MG with a flexed jaw. MG gulped.

Lizzie took a sip of her drink before scrunching her face in disgust. “God, what is in this? Did you mix this with your dirty Pogue water?”

Hope couldn’t help herself. “No, we pissed in it.” She rolled her eyes when Lizzie dramatically gagged, dumping her drink onto the sand.

“It was a joke, Liz,” said Landon, trying to diffuse the situation, only making it worse. 

“Ew!” Lizzie squealed. “You mopheaded Pogue will not call me that. It’s Lizzie.”

Beside them, Sebastian grabbed a handful of MG’s shirt, no doubt threatening his life. Rafael was trying, unsuccessfully, to pry the Kook off his friend.

Hope pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. She loved her friends, she really did. In the moment, she reminded herself of that fact.

Her saviors came in the forms of Penelope Park and Josie Saltzman. One made her blood boil, the other made her feel warm inside, but both of them terrified Hope to a certain extent. Unconsciously, she stood on her own two feet, not leaning on Landon for support anymore.

“What’s taking so long? I want my booze.” Penelope walked up, an amused expression at the situation. 

Josie tugged on her sister’s arm. “Lizzie, Seb, come on. It’s not worth it.” 

Hope doesn’t know why she felt offended by that. She shrugged it off, holding out cups to Josie and Penelope, just thankful that they were able to stop a fight from happening. (Which, considering Rafael and Sebastian’s expressions, was seconds away from the first punch.)

The two girls took her silent peace offering, (and when Josie’s fingers brushed against hers, Hope pretended it didn’t leave a burning trail). The four of them walked away. Sebastian made it a point to glare at MG over his shoulder, only to be slapped in the arm by Josie.

Once they were out of earshot, Hope turned to her friends with a glare. “We are trying _not_ to gain attention. Or have your goldfish brains already forgotten what we talked about?”

They stuttered out apologies, but Hope just raised her hand. “Just don’t do anything stupid tonight, please.” 

At their determined nods, she picked up her own cup and walked away. Rafael had the right idea and let her go alone, staying to help pass out drinks.

  
  


Hope walked until she couldn’t ignore the throbbing in her ankle. Sighing, she plopped down on a random beach towel, and she chugged the rest of her drink. (Lizzie was right, it tasted awful. What deadly concoction did her friends mix together?)

A loud sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back on her arms, stretching out her left leg to look at the damage. Her ankle was obviously swollen despite being wrapped in her bandana. It was also burning a little, thanks to the salve she applied when she woke up. 

“I know we had some kind of truce, earlier. But you’re on my towel.” 

Hope looked up to the sight of Penelope Park, hand in hand with Josie. As much as Hope enjoyed their snarky banter whenever they saw each other, she was too tired to deal with this. She raised her hands in surrender. Getting up, she winced when she put pressure on her injured foot.

“You’re hurt.” Josie was kneeling at Hope’s side in a second, holding her shoulders and pushing her back down to a sitting position.

Penelope gave an exaggerated gasp. “Hope Mikaelson? Hurt? I thought I’d never see the day.”

Rolling her eyes, Hope hissed when Josie held her foot, twisting it slowly to test her ankle.

Josie held the bandana between her fingers. “May I?”

Hope only nodded, not trusting herself with her words at the moment. She’d either cuss like a sailor or say something stupid like compliment Josie’s hair. Which was braided back into a low bun, leaving two strands to frame her face. Not that she noticed that type of stuff, anyway. 

She realized she was staring, so she tore her eyes off Josie and looked around, landing on Penelope standing on the side. Penelope looked slightly put off at Hope’s lack of a witty comeback. They almost always traded insults, enough to visibly annoy each other, one of them usually going too far and cutting deep, but it was just routine. Based on the principle of their people not getting along. 

Hope believed that, in a different universe, they’d probably be friends. 

Penelope’s eyes widened, and Hope followed her sight.

Oh. Josie took off the bandana. 

“That’s not pretty,” muttered Hope.

Thanks to the salve from earlier, the bruised skin darkened to a deep purple, contrasting against Hope’s naturally pale complexion. Hope would one hundred percent compare it to a bruised banana, but worse.

“Damn, Mikaelson. What’d you do?” Penelope asked with a chuckle, not really concerned, just intrigued.

“Stole thousands of dollars, committed grand theft auto, and broke my ankle from running from the cops.” 

At Penelope’s narrowed eyes, Hope snorted. “I’m kidding.” 

She didn’t need to steal a car. She had her van.

Josie smiled at Penelope’s slight blush. “Of course she’s kidding, Pen.” She turned to Hope. “You didn’t break your ankle, it’s just a sprain. You’ll be fine, but you shouldn’t put a lot of pressure on it for a while.” 

Hope’s face burned at Josie’s smile as the girl kept talking. Her thumb was caressing Hope’s calf while she talked, and Hope didn’t hear a word she said. She just nodded when Josie looked at her expectantly, which was apparently the right thing to do since Josie’s smile widened.

Penelope took in the expression on Hope’s face, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. Penelope knew that look. She was a master of hiding it, burying it underneath an easy smirk.

She cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s still my towel.” 

Hope blinked at the sudden edge in the girl's words. 

“Penelope, stop it.” Josie sighed. “Can you hand me my bag? I have a first aid kit, which should have some gauze.” 

Because of course Josie Saltzman carries a first aid kit. Hope makes a mental note to get one for the van in the near future.

Penelope handed the gauze to Josie, and Josie got to work wrapping Hope’s foot. 

“Why are you doing this?” Hope asked her.

Penelope chimed in, “Yeah, I’m curious, too. Is this another charity case?”

Josie just shook her head. “Everyone takes this ‘Kooks versus Pogues’ rivalry too seriously. Especially the guys. And my sister.” She looked up at Penelope. “I know you don’t really believe in it either.”

“You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Jojo.”

Suddenly, shouts could be heard in the distance. All three of them turned their heads in that direction, where a crowd was being formed at the shore. 

More shouting was heard, and Hope groaned while tilting her head back. That was definitely Rafael. “I told them not to do anything stupid.”

“Was that Sebastian?” Josie furrowed her brows as she listened carefully. Another yell, this time more high pitched. She closed her eyes. “And that’s my sister.”

Josie looked at Penelope, gesturing to Hope’s ankle. “Can you finish this? I need to be there for Lizzie.” 

Both Penelope and Hope protested, but Josie shut them both up with a pout. “Please.”

Penelope kneeled next to Hope, and Josie gave her a hug. “Thank you.” She got up, jogging to the commotion. 

Hope watched her leave, already missing the warmth that Josie naturally exuded. 

Penelope quickly finished wrapping Hope’s ankle, surprisingly doing a really impressive job. Hope smiled in thanks. She went to get up when Penelope stopped her.

“You know you two can never happen, right?”

Hope bit the inside of her cheek. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. You like Josie, but you can’t have her.”

“I thought you two broke up.”

“Keeping tabs on me? I’m flattered.” Penelope smirked before it dropped as soon as it came. “Besides, that’s not the point. Even if none of us really believe in the discrimination, our parents do. Do you really think that Caroline Forbes would be okay with her daughter dating a Mikaelson? Especially after your father begged her for money to go find a treasure that doesn’t even exist?”

“ _Don’t_ talk about my father like that.” Hope all but growled out, her glare making Penelope flinch. She felt a small bit of satisfaction at that.

Penelope leaned back as she casually shrugged. “You know I’m right. Now get up. I’m done playing nice.”

Hope huffed, getting up and experimentally putting some weight on her left foot. The pain was now a dull throb, a lot easier for her to handle. 

Penelope shook off the sand from her towel, stuffing it into the bag Josie left behind. 

The shouting got louder, and a gunshot rang through the beach. 

A brief moment of silence pierced the chaos. Then screams littered the air.

Both girls shared a stunned look before running toward the crowd, Hope barely keeping up. 

It was hard getting to the source due to the mass amount of people (smartly) running away from the gunshot. Penelope bulldozed her way through, not bothering to see if Hope was behind her. Meanwhile, Hope nearly got trampled, but she used her small frame to her advantage and slipped through the crowd, dread setting in her bones.

Why the fuck did they bring the gun? 

Hope finally made her way through the swarm. There was still a good number of people circled around the commotion, their curiosity overriding their survival instinct. Hope thought they were idiots, but at the same time she ran _toward_ the gunshot, so maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to judge.

Rafael had his feet in the water, arm straight up with the pistol aimed to the sky. He had a serious glare on his face, his eyes darting between the Kooks in front of him. His right eye had a shine to it, one that would likely develop into a nasty bruise. 

He was standing protectively in front of MG, who looked as if he had been thrown into the water. His shirt was drenched, and he was sporting a bloody lip. (In any other situation Hope could just imagine MG asking them if it made him look cool.)

Landon was standing in front of Raf with his hands out, his posture similar to someone approaching a wild animal. 

A few feet in front of them, Sebastian had his hands up in surrender. His usual posse of Jed Lockwood and Ryan Clarke were behind him, stiff, as if waiting for his orders. All of them nervously eyed the gun in Rafael’s hand.

In the background, Hope recognized the Saltzman twins, Sebastian’s sister Jade, and Penelope standing back with the rest of the crowd. Penelope seemed to be asking Josie what happened, but she just shook her head. She could fill her in later.

Hope did a quick once over of the scene in front of her, a breath of relief escaping her body when she realized no one actually got shot. Judging by Rafael’s stance, he probably shot the gun in the air as a warning.

The moment of relief quickly got overtaken by a surge of anger. She stormed into the middle of the silent standoff. 

“What the _hell_ is going on here?” 

No one answered her. Wrong move. 

Landon silently moved out of her way as she went up to Rafael. She stared him down. “Give me the gun.”

Rafael met her glare, and she saw the rage in his eyes. The kind that couldn’t be reasoned with. She’s familiar with that look. She’s seen it in her father. And in the mirror.

He shook his head. Hope punched him in the gut, quickly disarming him in a sloppy but effective move that her dad taught her. Turning the safety back on, she took out the magazine and held it in her other hand.

Hope cocked her head at Rafael. Her blue eyes blazed. “Well?”

“They started it.” 

She scoffed. He wouldn’t be able to give her an actual answer, not when he’s like this. She turned around to the three Kooks who obviously played a role in her friends’ injuries. 

Her first instinct was to scream at them, hit them, make them feel the pain that her and her friends have gone through over the years. Logic stopped her train of thought. She told the guys not to do anything stupid for a reason. They can’t get in trouble, not right now. 

(That point was probably mute because Rafael shot a _fucking_ _gun_ , but she can at least prevent further charges against them. No matter how much she wanted to beat Sebastian’s face in.)

“You guys should go.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Your _dog_ held a gun to my head. You need to invest in a shock collar.”

Hope did not hesitate to march right up to the pompous asshole, his accent especially grating on her nerves. Despite his height advantage, Sebastian’s sneer dropped.

Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Mikaelson.

“You are on thin ice, Montgomery. Take your goonies and leave. _Now_ .” She turned to the people surrounding them. “ _All_ of you.”

She stood her ground, watching as Sebastian motioned the rest of the Kooks to do as she said. Slowly but surely, the rest of the crowd dissipated as well. Hope caught a glimpse of Josie looking flushed before Penelope pulled her away to leave with everyone else. 

Once all the rich kids were gone, that only left the Super Squad and a few Pogue stragglers. Hope didn’t care about them, though. She just wanted answers.

Considering Rafael still looked like he wanted to kill somebody, and MG has actually stopped talking for once, Hope turned to Landon. 

“Please tell me what happened.”

He gulped. Gesturing to the fading silhouettes of Sebastian and his friends, Landon said, “They really did start it, though.”

* * *

The next day, Hope found herself sitting in the Sheriff’s office. Perfect. This is exactly what she _didn't_ want.

Sheriff Machado entered the interrogation room, offering Hope a cup of water. Despite her dry throat, she politely refused. 

Her life taught her not to trust the police, too many of them were too involved in politics to actually do the right thing. She’s had a few friends get blamed for stuff that Kooks did, and of course the police believed those with privilege. 

Hope respected the sheriff, though. The woman in front of her worked for her position, not taking crap from her sexist superiors. And it helped that she looked the other way whenever the Super Squad got caught with alcohol or weed. Sheriff Mac had kids of her own, and she was a teenager once, too. She’d tell them to be sneakier, but also to stay safe. Then, she would usually give them their “last warning”, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, a smile on her lips.

At the moment, however, she simply sat in silence. It stretched for an awkward amount of time. Hope was about to ask to leave when the sheriff leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. 

“I heard that there was a small commotion last night, and your friend Rafael was a topic of interest.”

Hope automatically tensed, silently cursing herself when she saw the sheriff note the body language. She cleared her throat and winced. The cops showed up at her door early in the morning, not giving her time to deal with her pounding headache and sore throat.

She needed a lot of drinks after the party last night.

After all the Kooks left, Landon explained to Hope how MG wanted to apologize to Lizzie personally. Sebastian, of course, didn’t like it when MG asked to speak with his girlfriend alone. In typical MG fashion, his mouth ran away from his thoughts, leading to a nice jab from the British surfer. They fought, though MG didn’t throw a single punch, mainly dodging attacks and still trying to talk civilly. 

MG was a kind hearted pacifist, through and through. That’s one of the things Hope admired about him, but she did smack him in the head when she heard that he didn’t fight back.

Rafael and Landon soon joined the fight, ultimately taking on Sebastian’s lackeys Ryan and Jed. Ryan took great pleasure in beating up his half brother. Rafael and Jed were at a standstill, both meeting each other punch for punch. Once Rafael saw that Sebastian was essentially drowning MG in the water, Rafael took out the gun. He put it up to Sebastian’s head, forcing him to let go of MG. Jed tried to take him down, resulting in the gunshot to the air that Hope had heard.

Pushing all those thoughts aside, she looked Sheriff Mac in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The sheriff took a long breath and slowly nodded. Leaning back, she crossed her arms. “I’ll ignore last night’s complaint. Pass it off as a typical teenage party. But that’s not why you’re here. Let’s cut to the chase, Hope. I know you and your friends found a boat.”

Hope wanted to pat herself on the back for not reacting this time. 

“Look, I know it might have been exciting to find a shipwreck, and you might have a pact to keep it a secret. But there is a serious investigation going on, and I don’t want to have to take you in for tampering with evidence.”

At the Hope’s silence, partnered with her poker face, Sheriff Mac continued.

“It would be in your best interest to tell me what you know.”

Pause. Then, “I told you. I know nothing.”

Sheriff Mac raised an eyebrow. She tried a different angle. “Some sources have informed me that you’re essentially an emancipated minor. I believe the last time anyone has seen your Aunt Freya was over two months ago.”

Hope was aware. At her last visit, Aunt Freya said that she’d be gone longer than normal. Yesterday was the first free day she had, but it got cancelled due to the storm. Her next visit isn’t for a couple weeks, and the cell phone towers were down so Hope couldn’t even call if she wanted. 

“You’re still seventeen, Hope. You need a legal guardian. Now, I pushed the issue to the side for as long as I could because you’re a good kid, and I trust you. But someone told the DCS, and they’re hanging on my word if you need to be put into foster care.”

Hope felt her throat close up, and it took extra strength to keep a straight face as Sheriff Mac kept talking.

* * *

“She didn’t ask about the gun?”

“No, she threatened to take my home away from me!” 

Hope paced the room, her hands constantly fidgeting as her mind went in overdrive. She ran her fingers through her hair, making no difference because it was already disheveled from the first hundred times she’s done it since she got home.

MG got up from the couch, stopping her in her tracks and holding her shoulders. “Breathe, Hope. In. Out. There you go. That’s my girl.” He over exaggerated his breathing, allowing her to follow along. It’s a trick that he does with Hope when she gets extremely restless, discovered months ago when her dad first went missing. 

“The police have to be hiding something.” Landon spoke from his position on the floor. 

They all looked at him. 

“Think about it! The cops are super on top of this case. They somehow found out the motel that Ted stayed in, going to investigate it before they even found his body. Don’t tell me you don’t think that’s suspicious.” He gestured to Hope. “And now Sheriff Mac wants to make a deal with a teenager for the possibility of finding the boat.”

“Okay. Let’s search the boat.” Rafael said.

Hope turned on him in an instant, MG’s little breathing meditation gone in an instant. “Are you kidding me? Sheriff Mac told me specifically to stay away from the investigation. Are you saying you _want_ me to go into foster care?”

Rafael stood up, meeting her eyes with the same ferocity. “No! Of course not! You’re one of my best friends, Hope. I just want you to be happy.” He threw arms up in the air, palms up. “But I have nothing to lose! There has to be something special on that boat, if that safe had anything to say. I bet there’s more money. Maybe Ted was part of some shady drug deal.”

He looked around. Landon seemed to be the only one on board with him. Rafael turned to MG. “Bro, we got five thousand dollars from that safe. Whatever is on that boat could probably get you through college, and you won’t even need your scholarship!” MG’s brows rose, and Rafael knew he was in. He turned to the last, and most important, member of their group.

“Hope, please. You told them we didn’t find it, and they obviously have no idea where the boat is. It’ll be a quick mission. Just search the boat and leave.”

She pursed her lips in thought. She let out a long exhale through her nose, not believing that she was even entertaining the idea. “We’ll need scuba gear. Someone’s gotta go deep, and for a while if we want to properly search the boat.”

Landon’s eyes lit up. “My father! I could definitely just ask him, he’s willing to do anything for me.” 

Rafael chuckled. “The one time I’m glad you’re related to Ryan Clarke.”

They turned to Hope, knowing that she has the final say because she has the most to lose if they got caught.

“Fine. But after this, we are not getting involved anymore.”

* * *

Four minutes. That’s all the oxygen time they had.

MG looked at his friends. He’d expect this from Landon, but Hope? “Most of the tanks are empty.”

She crossed her arms and scowled. “Don’t look at me like that. We were kind of in a rush, so sorry for not double checking.”

Turns out Mr. Clarke didn’t have scuba gear. Apparently, Ryan and his friends trashed one of his dad’s boats, resulting in some equipment getting damaged. 

Good thing Hope’s been working for Dr. Saltzman, and she knows for a fact that he goes diving for fun. Alaric has kind of taken Hope under his wing since her dad’s been gone. He taught her how to do all the menial tasks on a boat for maintenance, along with the harder skills while sailing. She didn’t know if he was doing it out of guilt or pity, but he paid her to manage his ships, and it’s the best gig she has for money. 

However, she wasn’t supposed to be working at the time, so Landon kept watch while she borrowed the gear they needed. 

Emphasis on borrowed. It wasn’t stealing, she’ll return it when they’re done. The only thing she’d technically be stealing is air, but Alaric wouldn’t notice something like that. 

“So, who knows how to dive?”

No one raised a hand at MG’s question. They looked around, expecting one of the others to surprise them with some sort of secret scuba skills.

“I’ll do it.” Hope offered. “You guys would probably miss something, no offense. How hard could it be, anyway?”

She regretted asking that question because MG immediately went into a tangent about water pressure and altitude. Her head spun at the fancy terms he used, but she got the gist of it. 

“Don’t hold my breath. Got it.”

That only led to another tangent, one that MG had to repeat because Hope stopped listening. Fifteen minutes later, she was finally underwater. 

She allowed herself a few seconds to get used to the feeling, before focusing on the task at hand. A stopwatch was wrapped around her wrist, the numbers counting down. Four minutes goes by fast, she needed to make the most of it. She used the roped anchor they threw down to pull herself toward the sunken boat.

Checking all the obvious compartments, Hope was starting to think this was all for nothing. She had about a minute and half left when she noticed something off. The floor of the boat had a very slight indent in one spot, coincidentally shaped in a rectangle. There was a secret compartment. 

Opening it showed a safe hidden in the floor. It had a keypad, showing a six-digit passcode needed to open it. Hope’s first instinct was to try to crack it in the moment, before she realized she had less than a minute left in the tank. They could always figure out the code once she’s out of the water. And if they don’t, Rafael had a blowtorch.

It seemed to be the only item of interest on the boat. She hefted it into her arms, making her way back to the anchor. It was heavier than expected, she had to use the rope to pull herself up to the surface.

She was about to resurface, but the shape of another boat made her stop. Two shadows loomed above her. 

Thirty-four seconds. 

As much as she acted annoyed and teased them, the boys had Hope’s full trust. She just needed to wait while they handled it. She shifted to get a better grip on the rope, only for the safe to slip from her arms. 

Cursing in her head, Hope swam down, picking the box off the sand. A quick look at the watch showed fifteen seconds. Fortunately, the other boat was leaving. And if she put her lifelong swimming skills to work, she could make it back up to the surface in time.

She went to kick off the ground, only to find out her foot was caught in coral. Familiar pain shot into her ankle, and Hope cried out. Eyes wide and flickering around, she looked at the safe in her hands. Using as much force as she could while underwater, she held up the metal box and swung it down, successfully breaking the coral. Unfortunately, that also meant smashing her foot in the process. 

Her time was out. She did her best to swim up, her lungs screaming, tears in her eyes, head feeling dizzy. 

White spots entered her vision just as she broke the surface. She pawed at the snorkel and mask until the gear was off her face, leaving her gasping, taking selfish gulps of air. She heard a couple splashes around her, and she thrust the safe in the direction of the closest one.

“Take this before I pass out.”

The weight left her possession to MG’s waiting hands, allowing Hope to focus on getting on the boat. With the help of Landon, she managed not to damage her injured foot even further than it already was. 

“You’re just a pain magnet, huh?”

“Shut up. I can still punch you.”

Once they were all back on the boat, Hope sat down and got her breathing back to normal. Luckily, they actually had some medical supplies this time. She slapped their hands away, telling them she can treat her own injuries. After some poor attempts, Landon ended up cleaning her cuts and rewrapping her foot with new gauze.

Hope laid on her back, getting a sideways view of her boys trying to figure out the passcode of the safe.

“So who was on the other boat?” She wanted to know the people who made her almost drown. Sure, she dropped the safe, but if the other boat wasn’t there, she wouldn’t have stopped in the first place.

Rafael grimaced. “The police.”

“Oh.” Hope closed her eyes. Of course. Wherever she went, the cops always seemed to follow. 

“Don’t worry,” MG gave a reassuring smile when Hope looked over. “It was only my mom with Chad. They noticed you were missing, so we just said you were working. She also yelled at me, but that’s okay. We got them to leave.”

“Thanks, MG.” Hope knew MG didn’t have the best relationship with his parents. That’s one of the reasons he was hell bent on getting a scholarship and attending university, he wanted to make them proud.

“Uh, guys?” Landon stood up, squinting in the distance. “I think we have more company.”

They all turned to see another boat quickly sailing toward them. There were two men, dressed in all black with military-esque gear on.

“What the hell?” Rafael exclaimed. “That’s not the police.”

Landon went to man their boat, starting it up and leading them away while Rafael rushed to pull up the anchor. 

“Don’t wait for me, go!”

Hope looked back at the mysterious men, watching as one of them took something out of a case. It looked suspiciously like a gun. He held it up, aiming directly at them, and shot. 

Okay, it was definitely a gun.

“Holy shit!”

“Lan, get us out of here!” 

They all ducked as more bullets sailed around them. MG looked around the boat, laying low while walking toward something in the front. 

Hope sent him an incredulous look. “MG! Stay down!”

He ignored her, grabbing a wrench off the ground. He made his way to the back carefully, before strategically throwing it in the water.   
  
A scraping, sputtering noise replaced the noise of gunshots. Hope peeked, seeing the boat stop dead in the water. She caught a glimpse of one of the men’s patches, showing a weird triangle logo with the word TRIAD written underneath. 

“Way to go MG! That’s what I’m talking about!”

She turned away from the mystery boat, smiling at Rafael’s excitement. She gave MG a high five. “Good thinking.”

MG smiled, taking in their praise. 

* * *

Back in Hope’s living room, Landon groaned at the latest failed attempt to get into the safe. 

It’s been a frustrating twenty minutes since they got back to Hope’s house, after about an hour of anxiety over the men in black that they saw.

“This guy has some sort of safe-kink.” MG joked. “Wasn’t there one at the motel?” 

Rafael’s eyes lit up. “Hope, what was the combo of that one?”

“Uh, I think sixteen, twenty-five, eighteen?”

Landon typed it in, shaking his head when it didn’t open.

She bit her lip. She could’ve sworn that was right, she could see the numbers written down in her head.

“Oh, it’s a zero, not a six. Do ten, twenty-five, eighteen.” Whoever wrote the passcode has pretty sloppy handwriting.

Landon pumped his fists in the air when the safe opened. “Yes!”

The four of them crowded around the box, eager to see what they risked their life for. 

“Jewelry?” 

MG dipped a hand in, picking out a random item. He held up an expensive ring, the tacky design making it bulky on his finger. Landon picked up a bracelet that had a tear drop shaped stone on top. Rafael got hold of a necklace, one that had a unique pendant.

He talked as he rifled through everything else. “Mancer probably stole all of this. I’m pretty sure I saw Josie Saltzman wearing this necklace last month. Do you think we can pawn these off at a shop?"

Hope was about to make a joke when she saw something, her hand catching Rafael’s wrist before she could even think about it. She reached out, gently picking up a familiar ring.

Rafael furrowed his brows. “Hope?”

That caught the attention of MG and Landon, and they looked away from the jewelry in their hands. 

Her eyes teared up. She held up the ring, studying all the different angles. There was a small piece of lapis lazuli, encased in an octagon with intricate designs. There’s no denying it. 

Hope shook her head in disbelief. Her voice shook when she spoke.

“This was my dad’s.”

  
  
  
  



	2. the daylight ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope grows desperate for answers. Everything falls apart quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this chapter ready for a while now, but held back in posting in light of the situation with Naya Rivera. I thought it would be in poor taste to update this fic at the time, considering the main mystery of the story.
> 
> For those who don't know, Naya Rivera was most well known as Santana from Glee, and she was a beautiful person inside and out. She went missing after visiting a lake with her son, and her body was found and confirmed days later. Rest in peace.

Rafael tried, again, to convince her to go home. Landon had to help his mom close up the restaurant, and MG promised his dad that he would actually help after bailing on him that morning. This left Rafael to be the voice of reason, which really should have been a red flag.

Hope just waved him off, parking the van and getting out. If she slammed the door like a child, she’d never admit to it.

He trailed her with a sigh. “Hope, this guy _just_ lost his adoptive brother, his only family member. Now isn’t really the time to interrogate him.”

She ignored him.

“Hope!”

They were right at the side of the house when she suddenly spun around, stopping him in his tracks. Her watery eyes blazed with emotion.

“What am I supposed to do?!” She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She tugged at the string around her neck, having fashioned the ring into a necklace. Holding it up, she looked at it with a shake of her head. “My dad would _never_ take off this ring. And he was definitely wearing it when he left for the trip. So why the hell did Ted Mancer have it?” She tucked it back into her shirt. “I need answers, Raf.”

His face softened when her voice broke at the last sentence.

“Okay.” He nodded, his voice losing its edge from earlier. “Yes, I agree we should find out if he knows anything. But can’t it wait until tomorrow?” He gestured to the setting sun, half of the sky already being enveloped with darkness. “You just found out about this a couple hours ago, your emotions are all over the place. You don’t want to do anything you might regret. Besides, I think your ankle has taken enough of a beating the past few days.”

At his small smile, Hope paused. Rafael’s own impulsivity has gotten him into endless amounts of trouble in the past, and she knew that he was speaking from experience. 

Maybe she was acting a little brash. She didn’t even know what she was going to ask Chad, her heightened emotions not letting her plan that far ahead. Making her forget that he’s grieving a more recent loss.

“You’re right.” She ran her fingers through her hair. Looking back at the house, she stopped with a sharp inhale at the sight of a van parked across the street.

A quick glance at Rafael’s wide eyes told her that he saw the same thing. Without a word, she pulled him to the side of the house, crouching low. They peeked around the corner. 

Rafael pulled back. “Those are definitely the guys who shot as us, right?”

“Judging by the huge Triad logo, I’d say yes.” Two men left the vehicle, wearing the same uniforms that Hope saw earlier that day. “Yeah that’s definitely them.”

She pulled back when they got closer. She whispered to Rafael. “Do you have the gun?”

He winced. 

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding? You bring it to a goddamn party, but when we might actually need it-”

He shushed her when footsteps got closer.

Hope and Rafael listened as the men didn’t even bother knocking on the door, just kicking it in and yelling. It sounded like they pulled Chad out of his room, the poor guy screaming in terror. They had the same idea as Hope as they started to interrogate the young man. They asked the expected questions, Chad responding with exactly what he told the police. 

“I don’t know why he was out there during the storm! He said he had a quick errand to run, and that he’d be back way before it started!”

Hope wasn’t a trained officer, but even she could tell that Chad was holding something back. She looked to Rafael, seeing the same doubt in his eyes. 

The Triad men didn’t like Chad’s answer, if the punching and grunts of pain were anything to go by. They continued yelling. Things crashing inside the house made it hard to hear what else they were saying. 

Then, one sentence stood clear, making Hope’s blood run cold.

“Where’s the ring?!”

Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to burst. That can’t be a coincidence. 

She always assumed that her dad was involved with some shady people. He didn’t exactly have the cleanest record. But Mancer going on a suicide quest, and now these men being involved? All of this somehow had to be related to his disappearance.

She felt Rafael hold her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Reminding her that she’s not alone. She smiled gratefully.

After some more painful sounds of Chad pleading and getting beaten up, the Triad men left the house. Hope waited until the car was out of sight, thankful that she parked her van in a hidden spot. 

As soon as they were gone, Hope made a beeline around the corner. She ignored Rafael’s warnings, knowing that he would be right behind her. She stepped around the broken door, following the muffled crying noises. 

Chad flinched when he saw them coming his way, and he tried to back up further into the corner he was in. 

Hope held her hand out, her voice soft. “Hey, we’re not going to hurt you.” 

That seemed to calm him down a little.

“Do you know who those men are?”

Scared eyes looked back at her. No answer.

“Okay, um.” She looked around at the ruined house. Plates were smashed on the floor, tables and chairs turned over. “Do you want us to get the police?”

“No! No, please don’t. No cops.”

Hope nodded frantically. “Okay, no cops. Got it.” She pursed her lips in thought, a thread of impatience showing on her face. Taking out the ring from under her shirt, she held it up with a desperate tone leaking through her voice. “Can you tell me what they wanted with this?”

Dread set into his features. He shook his head, trying to get away from the ring as if it would physically hurt him. “You shouldn’t have that. Don’t tell _anyone_ that you have that. Trust nobody.” His eyes flickered between her and Rafael. “If you know what’s good for you, stay low. Don’t get involved, man.” 

Chad started to hyperventilate, new tears forming. “Ted said something like this would happen. I begged him not to do it, we were fine! Yeah, we needed money, but we would have been fine without this. I trusted that he wouldn’t get too involved, that he’d back out of this stupid plan. But then Dr. Saltzman told me that he was at the docks right before the storm was about to hit, and I just knew-”

“Dr. Saltzman is involved?” Hope asked, her mind thinking back to the image of Chad with Dr. Saltzman and Josie at the shore. Were his daughters involved, as well?

Chad kept rambling, giving no indication that he even heard her. 

“Chad! What else did Dr. Saltzman say? What does any of this have to do with the ring?!”

She felt hands at her shoulders, pulling her away. Rafael pulled her up, locking her in a bear hug. “Hope! Back off!”

“No, he knows something!” She pushed at his chest, unable to get out of his grip. They struggled for a few moments, before stopping at Chad’s sudden, clear voice.

“Leave me alone. Don’t talk to me, again. Don’t tell the police anything. Please.”

Rafael’s arms loosened, allowing Hope to take a step forward. “But-”

“Leave!” Chad’s lip quivered. “Please, just let me grieve for my family.”

All of Hope’s previous desperation got sucked out of her by his words. “I’m sorry.” She spoke in a whisper of regret. She let her own emotions cloud her empathy, again. Shame made its way onto her face, making her unable to even meet his eyes.

Silently, she and Rafael left the house.

* * *

Hope cursed her friends for making her do this alone. She looked over her shoulder, double checking that no one saw her before stepping onto the boat. 

The sun was low in the sky, just barely rising and illuminating the island. The water shone with a hint of orange, reflecting the sky’s beautiful patterns made up of the soft clouds mixed with the early sun’s rays, reminding Hope of one of the reasons why she loved the island. It was still early enough for a small chill in the air, thus Hope’s oversized sweatshirt. 

It was also early enough that most of the Kooks wouldn’t be awake. There were a few rare outliers who wanted to get stuff done before the dock got crazy, but if they questioned her presence, Hope could just lie and say she was working. 

It was a simple mission: return the scuba gear before Dr. Saltzman knew it was missing at all. 

When Dr. Saltzman first hired her, he made it a strict rule not to bring any friends onto his boats. It was a job, not a hangout spot. She couldn’t get caught in odd hours, especially with one of her friends, who would probably make the situation worse. 

Hope knew she had to do this alone. That didn’t mean she was happy about it.

She lugged the heavy gear along, being careful not to hit anything. The small clang told her she failed, and she winced as the sound reverberated inside the boat. A small shuffle, along with a muffled groan, hit her ears and she whipped her head to the sound. 

There, on the coach, covered by a small throw blanket, was Josie Saltzman. 

Josie blinked rapidly as she went up on her elbows, one hand rubbing at her tired eyes. The blanket fell when she moved, exposing her open collarbone. It seemed that the girl didn’t plan to fall asleep, judging by her tube top and the faintest smudge of lipstick staining her lips. 

That detail was odd, seeing as Josie usually never wore lipstick. But the shade seemed familiar to Hope. She just couldn’t place where she’s seen it before.

Josie’s brows pinched together as she noticed the intruder. “Hope?”

Hope felt something stir inside her at the sound of Josie’s raspy voice. She could only smile awkwardly, giving a small wave with her free hand. 

“What are you doing here?” Josie sat up more, becoming more awake. Hope didn’t notice the small dilation of Josie’s pupils at the sight of Hope’s attire. Hope’s attention was on the very obvious hickey on Josie’s neck, a different feeling stirring inside her, one that made her feel confused at the mixed rush of anger and … something else she couldn’t place.

Josie’s expectant look told Hope that she was taking too long to answer. She didn’t even remember what the question was, her focus flickering back to Josie’s neck. 

“Someone had a fun night.” Hope tried to go for a teasing tone, but she surprised herself with the smallest trace of bitterness in her words.

The tan complexion turned red, spreading across Josie’s cheeks, down to her chest. She shyly covered herself with the blanket again, much to Hope’s disappointment. 

Josie cleared her throat and asked again, “What are you doing here?”

“... Working.” 

“I thought you don’t work Mondays.”

“Making extra money when I can.” She tried to shrug casually, an action that was dampened by the heavy gear in her hands. 

“What did my dad want you to do with his scuba diving stuff?”

“Um, uh,” Hope racked her brain in a useless effort, since her thoughts went blank as her eyes focused on Josie’s lips. Josie had a natural pouty face, and even when the girl was trying to be intimidating with her questions, Hope couldn’t help but think _adorable_. “To clean it?”

Josie only narrowed her eyes suspiciously, clearly not believing Hope’s poor attempt at lying. “Alright. And I’m assuming he also told you to return everything at-” she checked her watch, “-six in the morning?”

“Yup.”

When Josie chose to respond with a silent, unimpressed stare, Hope told herself she wouldn’t break. Looking into the light brown eyes, she lasted a total of two seconds before opening her mouth, the truth spilling out uncontrollably. 

“Okay, your dad didn’t ask me to clean this stuff. I just borrowed it for a little while without him knowing.”

“...So you stole it.”

“ _Borrowed_ , just without permission. See, I’m giving it back now.”

Josie just stared at Hope with a calculating look. Hope felt uneasy, unsure of what the other girl would do with the information.

“Please don’t tell your dad. I swear, all I did was use it for a little bit to explore the bottom of the ocean. I kinda fucked up my ankle in the process, more than it already was.” 

She gestured down. She’s always healed pretty quickly, ever since she was a kid. The previous swelling was gone, due to her icing her foot throughout the night since she couldn’t sleep. This left only the dark bruises, now covered by new cuts littering her foot. It really didn’t hurt _that_ much, it definitely looked worse than it actually was.

“Oh my god.” Josie’s previous suspicions were forgotten when she saw Hope’s injury. She got up, heading to a cabinet and pulling out supplies. “Why didn’t you at least put some bandages on it? There could be an infection.”

Hope just shrugged. “I don’t have any at home.”

Josie paused, something like pity flashing through her eyes, and Hope regretted ever saying anything. She’s had enough pity throughout her life. When Josie ushered Hope to sit on the couch and put her legs up, Hope only went along with it because her job was on the line. Yeah, that’s the reason.

Hope pursed her lips as Josie started cleaning the cuts gently, before applying the proper sized bandages. 

“I’m not a charity case, you know.” Hope couldn’t help but bite out, Penelope’s words from the other day ringing through her head. 

Her eyes drifted to Josie’s neck, flickering back up to the small lipstick stain. She inwardly scoffed at herself, putting the pieces together. Penelope. Of course. 

“Don’t be an ass.” Josie placed the last bandage, patting it down for good measure. “I’m just doing the right thing.”

“Does doing the right thing include ratting me out to your dad?”

Josie looked away, her hands lingering on Hope’s leg absentmindedly. 

It wasn’t _fair_ that the smallest touch from Josie made Hope feel this way. Not when Josie doesn’t even realize what she’s doing. Not when Penelope Park had her lips on Josie the night before, doing god knows what. 

Hope pulled her legs back, standing up and going back to the scuba gear abandoned on the ground. 

“I won’t.” Josie said, standing up with her. “Tell my dad, I mean. I promise.”

“Okay.” Hope lugged the gear into the proper compartment, leaving everything the way she found it. She turned back to Josie with a sigh. 

“Thank you. For everything.” 

Twice now, Josie has helped her out of the kindness of her heart, not expecting anything in return. Three times if she keeps her promise of not snitching on Hope.

“Yeah, no problem.”

They stood there momentarily, simply looking at each other. The sun was now rising, casting a radiant glow around Josie. Hope was stuck in a trance, her eyes tracing the curve of Josie’s jaw, memorizing the color of Josie’s eyes in the moment. Hope always thought green eyes were her weakness, but in that moment, the light brown shade became engraved in her memory. Josie blinked, taking Hope’s focus to her long eyelashes. 

Hope’s eyes trailed down Josie’s face, cataloguing every single detail. The messy hair that still looks fantastic on the girl. The slight specks of mascara that came off onto her eyelids. 

Her lips. The lipstick.

Hope cleared her throat. “See ya.” 

She left without waiting for an answer. 

* * *

“I’m sorry, did you say the ring might be cursed?!”

Hope rolled her eyes at MG. “Maybe, but it’s a family heirloom. I can’t just throw it out.”

Before MG could reply, Landon and Rafael walked in with arms full of groceries. They start putting them away in the refrigerator and cabinets without question, and Hope felt a rush of fondness for her friends. She was glad that, as dumb as they can be at times, they truly cared for her and were willing to help her out as much as they could.

“What’d we miss?” Landon asked, holding a can of peas. 

“Hope was telling me about her cursed- what did you call it? Daylight ring?” MG said.

“It’s what my father called it.” Hope held it up, smiling at the memory, hearing her dad’s voice light with laughter as if it was just yesterday and not years ago. “He always had the night shift for work, so when I was little, he would joke about how he was a supernatural being. He said that wearing this ring made it possible for him to walk around during the day, or the sun would cause his skin to burst to flames.”

MG smiled. “I remember that. When we were in grade school, you convinced our whole class that your dad was a vampire.”

The boys allowed her a moment to reminisce, her expression far away with a hint of melancholy. Landon and Rafael finished putting the groceries away and joined MG and Hope in the living room. Landon offered some chips to them, MG taking a huge handful while Hope politely declined. 

“So what was it about the ring?” Rafael asked.

Hope stood up off the couch with a small smile. “Follow me.”

They trail behind Hope as she weaves around the house, opening the door to a room that none of them have ever been allowed in. Walking in, the room looked like the definition of cluttered. No space was open, other than a few spots on the floor. Papers and various trinkets overloaded the desk, as well as the chairs and shelves. The wooden walls were completely hidden by the overwhelming amount of maps.

MG whistled. “And I thought _my_ room was messy.”

“This was my dad’s office.” Hope made her way to the bookshelves, grabbing a couple photos neatly placed in frames. It seemed to be the only things in the room that were well taken care of. Most of the notes were crumpled, and they could play a game just guessing what type of liquid stains were on each paper.

Hope laid out the frames on top of everything on the desk, arranging them in a certain order. 

She pointed to the first photo. It was a very stiff shot of a couple, and it was obviously the oldest picture due to the grainy aspect of the quality. 

“These are my grandparents, Mikael and Esther Mikaelson.”

“Wait, his name was Mikael Mikaelson?” Landon scrunched his nose.

“Yeah, don’t ask me.” Hope brushed it off, her grandfather’s name being the least abnormal thing about everything she was about to say. “Anyway, Esther made the ring for Mikael. Mikael ended up dying in a freak bus accident, getting thrown from the impact and getting impaled by a White Oak Tree branch.”

Rafael shook his head. “That’s one way to go out with a bang.”

Hope moved her finger down the line. 

“This is my uncle Finn. He was always involved in some shady shit, and not long after his dad died, his body was found, stabbed to death.” 

Next picture. 

“My uncle Kol, with his wife Davina. He actually went missing for a few years. While he was gone, Davina, who has had health problems since she was young, died from a heart attack. When Kol came back, he was devastated to find out that the love of his life was gone. He took his own life to be with her.”

Landon, Rafael, and MG all looked at each other in concern. Hope’s voice was starting to waver. She’s never told any of them any of this information in the years that they’ve known her. The fact about her uncle going missing and coming back made Hope’s belief in her father make a lot more sense. 

Next picture. 

She pointed to the blonde woman in the photograph, smiling happily at the equally lovestruck man by her side. It was obviously a candid, one taken in a moment of pure genuinity. Behind the happy couple was a younger man, looking on at their affection with a good-natured smile. 

“My aunt Rebekah and Marcel, with one of their friends in the back. Split apart for many years, before finally getting their asses into gear and admitting that they love each other. Both died in a house fire one week after the wedding.”

Next picture. 

This time, Hope took a second to collect herself. This one boasted both of Hope’s parents, Klaus and Hayley, along with another handsome man, the similar features painting him as an obvious Mikaelson. They were all in formal attire, the men giving their best smolder to the camera in their suits while Hayley’s lips curved into a smirk.

“My uncle Elijah, with my mom and dad. Everyone knows that my mom died in that car crash a few years ago. What wasn’t advertised was that my uncle Elijah was in the car with her.” Hope scoffed. “He was more of a behind the scenes kind of person, so I get why ‘Hayley Marshall Dead’ would make a better headline.” 

“And my dad. Missing nine months ago.” She glanced up, clearing her throat. The sight of her friends’ concern and own heartache for her was enough to put a crack in her armor, so she looked back down. 

With a sniff, she powered through, determined to finish the breakdown of her shitty family history without suffering her own breakdown.

She pointed at the last picture, one of a familiar blonde woman with a young redheaded child, both of them smiling at the camera with absolutely no idea how hard the next few years were going to be. “My aunt Freya. She’s always looked out for me, but losing all of her brothers and sisters in such a short amount of time almost broke her. That’s why she’s out traveling. Last I heard from her, she actually has a girlfriend.”

“She didn’t want to leave me alone, but I insisted. She needed to heal, too.” Hope looked up with a tired smile. “Besides, I have you guys.”

Before she knew it, she found herself in the center of a group hug. The guys expressed their sincerities, and Hope relaxed into their embrace. 

Once the emotion level hit its peak, they all backed off, refocusing on why they were there in the first place. 

Landon cleared his throat. “So, uh. I’m guessing that all of them owned the ring at some point?”

“A little more than that.” Hope clarified. She pulled out the ring from her shirt, taking off the necklace and holding it up for everyone to see. “They all died while wearing it.”

Silence. 

“And… you’re wearing it. Willingly.” MG had to say, making sure that he was fully aware of the situation.

“Yeah.” Hope shrugged.

“Nuh uh.” MG shook his head. “Girl, that thing is most definitely cursed.”

Rafael pointed at the small piece of jewelry, seeing it from a new perspective. “Hope, you should get rid of that thing.”

“What? No.”

When Rafael moved to grab it from her, Hope jerked away, accidentally sending the ring flying into the wall. She gasped and rushed to pick it up, frowning at the way the jewel in the middle was loose. “See what you did!”

Landon got Hope’s attention, not wanting her to kill his best friend. “Hey, let me see it. Maybe I can fix it.”

She gently passed the ring to Landon before glaring at the other two.

“I don’t _care_ if that ring is haunted. It belonged to my father. As well as all my other aunts and uncles who aren’t here for me anymore.” 

Hope used to have a huge support system, years ago. Memories with her different family members would occasionally invade her thoughts, making the days harder to live through at the reminder of what she doesn’t have anymore.

Uncle Elijah always acting proper, teaching her proper etiquette as if they didn’t live in the slums of the town. Aunt Freya showing her how to keep in control of her emotions. Aunt Rebekah dressing her up for her first school dance. 

Her mom being there for Hope, every single step of the way. She was actually the one who taught Hope how to surf. Never giving up on her, even when Hope would give up on herself. Always knowing the right thing to say. 

And her dad. 

Painting with her father was one of her favorite pastimes. His life was chaos, and he spent his days making deals with people and tying up loose ends when those agreements usually crashed and burned. But he would somehow find time to paint with his daughter, at least once a week. 

The few paintings left in their house were made by either of them, from the finger paintings of a six year-old Hope, to the stunning landscapes from Klaus. Their walls used to be full of artwork, but when Klaus went missing, there was a point in time when Hope really needed the money, as much as it hurt her to sell her dad’s art.

“That ring is the one thing that I have that connects me to my whole family, and I grew up believing that family is Always and Forever. I still believe it, even when they can’t be here with me.”

While her family didn’t always get along, their love was the one constant in Hope’s life. The memories of laughter and joy were the only things keeping Hope together after all the tragedy. 

Rafael shook his head. “But it could kill you-”

“So _let me die!_ ”

Her words rang out, stopping all protests. 

The shock on their faces paralleled her own shock at herself, but she couldn’t find any trace of exaggeration. Hope finally has something that directly connects her to not only her dad, but all her aunts and uncles, as well. She can’t lose it, not like she lost them.

None of them had a chance to respond, the sound of car doors slamming catching all of their attention. MG, being the closest to the window, took a peek and quickly backed away, his face paling.

“Triad.”

Hope cursed. She motioned for them to stay quiet, sneaking around the paper on the floor to the other side of the room. She led them through the back exit, making their way to the van with bated breaths. 

They waited until the men barged into Hope’s house, the sound of things crashing and breaking being their cue to start the van and pull out as fast as possible. Rafael took the wheel, leaving Hope, MG, and Landon to jump in the back.

Now safely driving away, they collectively let out a breath. No one knew what to say, the weight of the entire situation resonating in their minds. 

Landon took out the ring from his pocket, examining it a little closer. 

“Uh, Hope?”

“What.” The events of the past few days were settling on her shoulders, leaving her moody and tired.

“I think there’s a note in here.”

Hope immediately moved closer, taking the object and holding it up to her face. Seeing the smallest piece of paper sticking up from underneath the lapis lazuli, she pulled at the small gem until it popped out. The ring had some extra space underneath the stone, which was taken up by a carefully folded, small piece of paper. 

She unfolded it, instantly recognizing her dad’s scrawl of a handwriting. She read it out loud.

“Lockwood.”

They watched her reaction, none of the guys knowing what it meant. 

Hope’s brows knit together in thought.

“Like the lighthouse?” Landon offered, seeing Hope’s confusion.

“Maybe.” She looked up at them. “This has to be a clue. My dad’s trying to tell me something, I know it.”

MG and Rafael glanced at each other, unsure. Landon pursed his lips, not wanting to burst Hope’s bubble. She still felt dejected, seeing how they didn’t believe her. 

“Guys, come _on_. Why in the world would my dad put a secret note in a ring if it wasn’t important?”

“No, you’re right. We believe you.” Landon smiled at her. He gave the other two a pointed look. “We’re with you, every step of the way.”

Rafael sighed. “To the lighthouse, we go.”

* * *

Mason Lockwood looked at the two of them with narrowed eyes. 

Hope and Landon gave their best innocent face, trying their best to act like they were just interested in history. 

The Lockwood Lighthouse has been old and rundown for all of Hope’s life. It used to be very well kept, apparently being _the_ hangout spot for the generation before. Hope wouldn’t doubt that in Mason Lockwood’s teenage years, he and his friends would sneak in and throw countless ragers throughout the summer.

The Lockwood family used to have incredible influence in the town of Mystic Falls, but it all went downhill when their son, Tyler, died a couple years ago in a tragic boating incident. The parents left town, unable to handle the grief, leaving Tyler’s uncle, Mason, in charge of all their property. 

The lighthouse has been turned into a historical sight, seeing as it was the first one to be built when Mystic Falls was founded all those years ago. Mason spent his days giving tours, staying out of the town drama and keeping to himself.

He did a quick once-over to Hope. “You’ve grown, kid. I’m sorry about all your losses.”

That took her a bit by surprise. They met once, at her aunt Rebekah’s wedding with Marcel. It occurred to her that his nephew’s death was not long after that wedding, either.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’m sorry about Tyler.”

He gave her a nod. Then, he plastered on a smile. “Let’s get on with the tour.”

They went inside, stopping at random points as Mason spouted off random facts and trivia about different parts of the lighthouse. Hope was paying attention to every word, trying to see if there’s any connection to a ring or her family. One glance at Landon told her that he was keeping track, as well. It made her smile.

This was why she chose him as a partner for this. A small part of her was still mad at Rafael and MG for their comments about her dad’s ring, and there was also the fact that Landon was the only one who seemed to really be backing her up with this idea. 

But in any other situation, this was just Landon’s strong suit. 

Rafael had the muscles and strength, but he would usually let his temper get the best of him. 

MG had his easy going personality and ability to get along with everybody. (Well, if Lizzie Saltzman wasn’t involved.) 

Landon had the brains. He didn’t mind doing research projects for school, and he was fascinated by history and mythology. 

If one of the other guys were here with her, they wouldn’t be paying attention at all. Landon was attentively listening, as well as subtly looking around and scanning the place.

They got to the top, giving Hope a little bit of a fright looking down. She found comfort when Landon held her hand without question, giving her something to anchor herself too. It didn’t help that the grated floor below them had random holes in it. One misstep would lead to at least a hundred foot drop. 

More specifically, a one hundred and sixty foot drop, according to Mason. 

Their little trek around the top had Hope clutching onto Landon’s hand like a lifeline. 

“Are you okay?” He whispered, probably losing circulation at this point.

Hope shrugged it off, her confidence simply a cover for how fast her heart was beating. “Notice anything suspicious so far?” 

“He keeps this place rundown on purpose. The town would love to give money to fix it up, but he probably uses it as his own way to stay in the shadows.”

“Yeah, I figured that too.” Hope nodded. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s about it.” 

Their small conversation silenced when their tour guide took a glance back. 

They made their way into the watch room, overlooking the water, when Mason turned around.

“Alright, why are you guys really here?”

Hope and Landon just stood there, mouths dropped slightly. Mason smiled. 

“I’m not an idiot. I can tell you guys were actually listening to me, which thank you, by the way. I do appreciate that. But there’s no way two teenagers wanted to learn about an old lighthouse for no reason. It’d be a pretty sucky date idea.”

Landon stuttered. “Oh, we’re not-”

“Do you know anything about this ring?” Hope got straight to the point, still desperate for answers and knowing that they couldn’t get away without telling the truth. She took it out from beneath her shirt, the jewel back in place. 

Mason’s eyes widened, just the tiniest bit. If Hope hadn’t been paying attention she wouldn’t have even noticed. 

“You guys need to leave. Now.” His friendly demeanor vanished, replaced with a stern voice. 

Hope stepped closer. “So you _do_ know something.” 

“I know that if you keep prying for information, you’ll end up like your father.”

“What? What is _that_ supposed to mean?!”

“It means you need to stop, for your own safety.” Mason took a step back, reaching for the satellite phone. “If you two don’t leave, I’m going to call the cops.”

She took another step forward. 

“ _Hope_.” Landon warned, reaching out. She shook off his hand on her arm. 

“ _Tell me_ what you know! Please!”

Mason dialled the phone. They could all hear the voice come on. 

“ _911, what is your emergency?_ ”

“There are two teenagers who are trespassing-”

“No!” Hope lunged for the phone. She couldn’t get in trouble with the police, not before she’s even scratched the surface of whatever is going on. She needs answers.

When she went for the phone, Mason pulled away. She accidentally knocked him into the desk behind him, and his other hand fell back to steady himself. Unfortunately, there was a screwdriver sticking up among the other tools.

He barely grunted when it pierced his hand, going straight through. 

“ _Hello? Are you still there?_ ”

Mason looked Hope straight in the eye. Her hand came to her mouth in shock, immediately regretting her actions. She never wanted to hurt anyone. His focus flickered between Hope’s face and his hand, some sort of recognition flashing behind his eyes.

He hesitated and spoke into the phone. “False alarm about the trespassers. I had a little accident, and I need an ambulance to the Lockwood Lighthouse.”

Before the operator could respond, he hung up. 

Hope let out an exhale. “Why?”

Why didn’t he just report them? Especially since she was the reason he could very well lose his hand soon.

“I know what you’re going through.” Despite the massive bleeding in his hand, Mason’s eyes held nothing but understanding as he looked at Hope.

“What?”

He gave a humorless chuckle. “When Tyler died, I knew something was fishy about the whole situation. I kept digging deeper, eventually finding out that I was right. But that did nothing to help the grief. My nephew was still dead. Getting the truth brought no comfort.”

“I know I can’t stop you. But I will tell you this: let yourself grieve. All the possible conspiracy theories you could be thinking of right now are just a distraction.” He paused, making sure Hope took his words to heart. “Oh, and please don’t get my name mixed in with your search for answers. I already went down that road, and now I’m content with just leaving flowers in the graveyard every once in a while.”

Hope just stared at him, her selfish desperation clashing with her sympathy. After a few moments, she found herself nodding. “Okay.”

Sirens could be heard in the distance, and Landon pulled her out of the room. She stopped at the doorway, giving Mason one final, apologetic look.

“I’m really sorry.” 

She hoped he understood it fully. She wasn’t just apologizing for his hand. Hope felt that sense of guilt in her stomach for reminding him of his loss, through her presence as well as her questions. She’s sorry for the pain she caused him, both physical and emotional.

“It’s okay, kid. Stay safe.”

Hope let Landon lead her down the stairs, blindly following him as they ran away. The police were already in sight, and the van was gone. Rafael and MG probably waited as long as they could before getting the vehicle out of the scene. 

This just gave Hope and Landon a harder task of running through the thick of the trees, trying their best not to get lost. They made it out, finding themselves in the middle of town square. They started casually walking in the direction of Hope’s house, doing their best not to draw attention to themselves.

They took a pit stop at Landon’s house, just to take a moment to catch their breath and relax. Hope dropped and sat down on the couch, her head in her hands.

Landon sat next to her, holding two water bottles. He offered her one, which she took gratefully, not realizing how thirsty she was. After drinking half of it in one go, she leaned back with a sigh. She mindlessly played with the bottle in her hands, her eyebrows scrunching as she reflected on the past few days. Landon stayed silent, knowing that she would talk when she wanted to.

This is the second time this has happened. The second time that Hope completely disregarded another person’s grief and unfairly questioned them, all because of a ring and some wild theories.

“I’m so selfish.”

“What?” Landon shook his head. “No, you’re not. You are the best person I know. You’ve also been through a lot, which, in my opinion, gives you some leeway to be a little selfish.”

No. Just because her life was being dragged in the dirt, doesn’t mean she should be throwing mud at innocent people standing by. Having an awful past does not excuse being an asshole for no reason.

Not wanting to argue, knowing that Landon was just trying to be a good friend, she just said, “Can we talk about something else?” 

The past week, it’s as if her life was put on a standstill, only wanting to find out more information about her dad’s disappearance. She needed a reprieve, a chance to feel like a normal teenager, again.

She searched her mind for something, anything. Her eyes spotted the guitar in the corner of the room.

“Oh, weren’t you writing a song last week? Have you finished?”

His cheeks immediately darkened. “Uh, yeah.” He looked away.

“Landon, we can talk about something else, if that makes you uncomfortable.” Hope smiled.

“No,” he cleared his throat. “It’s okay.”

An awkward tension filled the air, making Hope shift in her seat. This never happened. Being with Landon was comfortable. Yeah, he was an awkward person, but he usually wasn’t awkward with her. She could always count on him to be a good friend.

“Can I hear it?” She suggested.

He hesitated, before he smiled and nodded, grabbing the guitar and sitting down. He fiddled with the strings, taking a few deep breaths. She waited patiently. 

A simple melody started. Landon started singing, and Hope closed her eyes as she listened. His voice was calming and soft, and she’s forced him to sing for her in the past.

“ _About those eyes, the way they spark when she’s about to pick a fight. When we disagree, and she knows that she’s right._ ”

She let out an exhale, taking in the calm moment. He continued singing, his lyrics obviously having real emotion behind them. He changed the pattern, now strumming the guitar softly. 

“ _I’m falling for a girl. I can’t wait to tell you all about her._ ”

Hope opened her eyes, finally recognizing what the song was. She found Landon looking right at her with a nervous smile. 

A pit formed inside her, and she already felt bad for what was going to happen. Rafael’s comment about her and Landon from the motel room came to the forefront of her mind.

“ _About last night, I saw a vision of the future in my dream. And I can’t wait to meet who you will be, so I can know everything about her._ ”

He stopped playing. He looked at her, waiting for some sort of response, unknowingly doing his puppy dog eyes that just made Hope feel more guilt for what’s to come.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Who’s it about?” 

She knew the answer. She just hoped that she was wrong.

“You.”

She opened her mouth, but he rushed to keep talking.

“I’ve always had feelings for you. I thought that I could keep myself in check, and wait to see if you’d ever return them.” Landon took a breath. 

“I told myself I wouldn’t say anything and see if anything naturally happens because I didn’t want to pressure you. But the past few months, you’ve been acting a little differently, and I really think that you like me back, at least a little bit. And Rafael’s been egging me on to confess, so here’s me. Shooting a basket, or whatever the saying is.”

Hope shook her head. “Landon, you don’t like me like that.”

His eyebrows scrunched together. “No, don’t tell me I’m wrong about my own feelings. Tell me you’ve thought about it? About us, together?”

“… I have.”

Of course she has. 

After her and Rafael tried dating, ultimately realizing that they’re better off as friends, Hope took the time to really analyze her relationships. She had an attraction to Rafael, but they were too similar. Both of them had anger issues and were too stubborn, finding themselves arguing most of the time because neither of them would back down. As for MG, Hope’s only ever seen him as a brother. 

If Hope only had the three of them to choose from, she figured she’d end up with Landon. He was safe. She knew that he would always do his best to make her happy. But she also knew that his dream was to leave Mystic Falls, mostly to escape his father. He’d always talked about how he would make it big on the mainland, make enough money to get his mom out, as well. 

She couldn’t let herself start a relationship with him, knowing that he would eventually leave her. 

He took her hands in his. “Then you know how good we could be, together. Hope, I love you.”

“Landon, I love you too. Just not like that.” 

His face immediately fell, along with Hope’s heart. She didn’t want to lose one of her best friends. 

“Landon-”

“I think you should go.” He pulled away.

She kept her focus on his face, trying to make him see her eye to eye so he could _understand_. He looked up, and he only shook his head. 

She couldn’t breathe. “Will this change things between us?”

“I don’t know. I just-” he pursed his lips, looking away for a second. He gave her one last glance. “I just need time. You should go.”

She nodded silently and left.

* * *

_Keep a clear head. You can’t lose your cool at your boss_. 

Hope took a deep breath. After the lighthouse, along with what happened with Landon, the last thing she needed was to lash out at the man who pays her so she could afford food.

Earlier, she was heading to the shore, surfboard in hand when Lizzie Saltzman stopped her.

Surfing has become an outlet for her, it was her stress relief. It helps her feel connected to her mother while also getting her mind off things as she can lose herself in the feeling of riding out the waves. Besides, she couldn’t really talk about what happened with Rafael or MG.

Lizzie Saltzman was the very last thing she needed at that moment.

“Hold up, hot shot. My dad wants to talk to you.”

Hope stopped in her tracks. “Okay.” She paused, not knowing if she could really trust Lizzie’s word, but curiosity got the best of her. “Do you know why?”

Lizzie smiled as if she knew something. It grated on Hope’s nerves. “Maybe it’s about time my family stopped giving the Mikaelsons free handouts.”

At Hope’s expression, Lizzie walked away with a satisfied smirk.

A rush of dread, along with anger, filled Hope’s chest. Dread at the implication of her getting fired. Anger at Lizzie’s jab at her dad asking Caroline for money. 

Hope took a second to shake it off. She shouldn’t assume the worst. Lizzie was probably just riling her up. Besides, Josie made a promise, and she seemed like the type to hold onto her word. Hope trusted her.

Now here she was, standing outside Alaric’s office. 

Caroline had let her inside, the same expression of sadness and regret taking over her face every time she looks at Hope. It’s been that way since her dad went missing. Hope never knew what to think of it.

Raising her hand, Hope gave three steady knocks, sounding more confident than she felt in the moment. 

“Come in.”

She went inside and stood awkwardly by the door. “Hi, Doctor Saltzman. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes.” Alaric nodded, an unreadable expression set on his face. Hope already knew this wasn’t going to go well. Every time she greeted him, he would always tell her to cut the formalities and call him Alaric. 

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Take a seat.”

They both sat down. 

Alaric leaned his elbows on his desk, clasping his hands together in thought. He looked at Hope with a calculating look in his eyes.

“Hope, you have been one of the best workers that I’ve ever had.” He started counting off on his fingers as he talked. “You show up on time, you never complain, you always do an amazing job.” 

He took a deep breath. “I’ve been trying my best to help you as much as I can. I know you’ve been through a lot in the past few years. But you’ve always pushed through and continued being a hard worker, never letting yourself fall victim to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Or so I thought.”

He pulled out one of the gas tanks from under his desk. 

Fuck.

“I’m going to be blunt here. Did you steal from me?”

Hope pursed her lips. “I gave it back?” 

Alaric clenched his jaw at the small confession, and she rushed to explain herself. “I only borrowed it for a little while, and I made sure everything still worked. Nothing was broken, and I just used a few minutes of air, that’s it.”

Alaric shook his head. “That doesn’t change the fact that you took something of mine without me knowing. If you had just asked, then I would have let you borrow it, as long as I knew what you were doing.” He brought a hand to his forehead with a sigh. “Just tell me why you needed hundreds of dollars worth of scuba gear, and maybe we can figure something out.”

_Because we stole five thousand dollars from Ted Mancer’s hotel room, and we thought his boat would have more money. Oh yeah, we found a dead guy’s boat and even lied to the police about it._

_We were also kind of right about the boat. It had countless jewelry, all stolen, costing god knows how much. Including my dad’s ring, which may or may not have been hiding a clue for me. I think it also had a necklace belonging to one of your daughters, which I never bothered to return._

Yeah, that would help her case. 

“I can’t say.”

Disappointment flashed through Alaric’s eyes. “I’m sorry Hope, but I have to let you go.”

“What? At most, I owe you a couple minutes of air.”

“I don’t care about the air. It’s the principle of it all. How can I trust you to roam around my property when I know that you have no problem taking from me without my permission?”

No. This can’t be happening. “I promise it won’t ever happen, again. I can work more hours without pay, I’ll learn how to do more-”

“You’re fired, Hope. I’m sorry, I really am.”

_If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t be doing this._

He continued. “Maybe a small break could do you some good. You’re probably very stressed with everything that’s happened, doing things that you don’t mean to do. I know that this isn’t you.”

_It’s your father_. 

Alaric didn’t say it out loud, but she knew that’s what he meant. Him and her father never got along. Before Klaus’ disappearance, Hope doesn’t think Alaric ever looked at her as anything other than “The Great Evil’s Spawn”.

Hope nodded, biting her tongue to avoid making the situation worse. 

She got up and went out the door. Rage filled her when she took a glance back to see Alaric’s head in his hands, looking as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Why was he acting like _he_ was the one suffering? _She’s_ the one who lost her source of income. And it was obvious that he made his decision on her punishment before she even had a chance to explain herself.

To think that she ever looked to him as a father figure. He never really cared for her. She was just cheap labor, as well as an opportunity to show off how good of a person he is, taking in the troubled child and providing for her. 

Bastard.

Hope stormed down the docks, barely keeping her emotions in check. Her aunt Freya’s advice on maintaining her composure flew right out the window, as well as MG’s breathing exercises that they’ve been doing. Her skin prickled, her whole body tense, itching to break something or to pick a fight.

She noticed Josie walking toward her, holding a plastic bag, probably just coming back from the store. 

Josie looked more put together than the last time Hope saw her. The red floral dress she was wearing had thin straps, leaving her collarbone open and showing clear, smooth skin. Her hair was clipped back, her bright smile being accentuated by the rays of the sun.

The taller girl brightened even more when she saw Hope. 

“Hey! I got you something.” 

Josie dug through the contents of the bag and pulled out a medium sized box of bandages, handing it over.

For a second, Hope just stared at it in confusion. Then she remembered her offhand comment from that morning, about not having any at her house.

The small warmth that spread through her was immediately snuffed out by her anger.

“Is this your twisted way of apologizing?”

Josie blinked, having expected some sort of gratitude instead of an accusation. “What?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Hope asked, not waiting for an answer before she continued talking. “Your dad just fired me. For stealing his gear.” 

Josie’s brows rose at the words. “I have no idea how he found out, but I swear I didn’t say anything.”

Hope scoffed.

How _dare_ she act innocent?

“You expect me to believe that? You were the _only_ one who knew, other than my friends. And they know how important this job was to me.”

In the past almost-year, Hope has essentially been living on her own. Yeah, her aunt Freya sends money, but it’s just barely enough to pay the bills and get by. This job has been the only way Hope can spend her own money on things: buy her friends gifts for special occasions, go out and eat at a restaurant every once in a while, buy a new set of acrylic paints when she runs out. This job was the only way she could truly _live_.

“Hope-”

“I guess that’s my fault for trusting someone like you. God, and I thought your sister was bad. At least she didn’t pretend to be my friend before stabbing me in the back.”

“I swear I didn’t tell my dad. I didn’t tell anyone!” Josie’s earnest expression made Hope falter. The girl seemed so genuine, her eyebrows scrunched in worry, her lips slightly parted. If anything, Josie seemed _hurt_ that Hope would accuse her of breaking her promise.

Hope shook her head. Classic Saltzman move. Somehow being the one burned when it was _her_ world that was up in flames.

It was all too much.

“I can’t deal with this right now. Talk to me when you stop lying through your teeth.”

She pushed past Josie, hating how her shoulder burned at the contact. Hating how the girl had betrayed her, yet Hope still felt a pit in her stomach at the thought of not talking to her anymore. Hating how Josie’s sad pout almost made her turn back around and apologize for ever making her sad. 

Hope willed herself to keep walking, not looking back once.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry (not sorry) to cut off the chapter with angst
> 
> lol is anyone still reading this fic 
> 
> these chapters are averaging about 9k words each, which is insane to me because i literally started writing less than a year ago. am i improving? now that's the question
> 
> josie's red dress in the last scene is from (i think) the first episode of season 2. klaus' ring is a clear reference to his daylight ring on the show. the lockwoods are pretty important in the vampire diaries lore, for those who have only seen legacies. 
> 
> hope's line "So let me die!" was taken from the originals because that scene still gives me chills. i miss klaus and hope. i miss to!hope, ngl. she had an actual storyline that genuinely added more to her character and made her important to the overall plot. legacies!hope (mostly season 2) got nerfed and sidelined :/
> 
> anyway, i hope you guys are enjoying all the little references, i'm having fun inserting all of them lmao
> 
> hey, i made a twitter :) @youngowl8

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go boys. I'm excited. 
> 
> I'll be following the main plot points from Outer Banks, along with some twists along the way. 
> 
> Those who've read my other Legacies fic already know this but 102518 is a little easter egg: the first episode of Legacies aired 10/25/2018 :)
> 
> Thoughts? Hate it? Love it? 
> 
> (i promise i'm working on other fics, i just got really excited to do this one lol)


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